


Straight, No Chaser

by Dragon_Gnostic



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: 1950s, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - 1950s, Alternate Universe - Gangsters, Alternate Universe - Percy Jackson Fusion, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-07
Updated: 2016-06-18
Packaged: 2018-07-12 20:05:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,974
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7120537
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dragon_Gnostic/pseuds/Dragon_Gnostic





	1. Chapter 1

Nico blinked a few times, trying to get his eyes accustomed to the light of his fathers study. Well, lack of light, rather. The curtains were drawn, the gas lamps his father insisted on using were dimmed, and there was a haze of smoke that filled the room. The smell of cigar smoke and sweat hung thickly in the air. Nico rolled his eyes. His father had quite a flair for the dramatic. A radio played smooth jazz as his father puffed on a cigar. His stepmother sat in his father's lap, her auburn hair cascading down her exposed back, beautiful golden white lily combs holding locks of it out of her face. The silk green gown she wore fit her husbands taste, if not the time or day she wore it. Maybe it was just Nico, but he wasn't sure emerald embroidered evening gowns were appropriate to wear at two o’clock in the afternoon on a Tuesday in August. His father, though, was dressed even more outrageously. Black pinstripes. Black cravat. Black diamond cuff links. A black fedora that sat tilted over his eyes. Nico held back a scoff. It was already sweltering in the New York summer with his slacks and shirtsleeves, he couldn't even imagine the dedication his father felt to be wearing his full-layered suit in this heat. Though he couldn't have been too hell bent on the appearance of invincibility against the chiding sun because Nico could hear the soft mechanical buzz of an electric fan that probably stood behind his father large redwood desk.

Nico's neck was wet with sweat and his tie was loose around his neck. His suspenders stuck uncomfortably to his chest and back and he desperately wished to be out of his Italian leather wingtips, but he knew his father would give him an earful for unbuttoning his vest and abandoning his jacket, so he dared not to adjust his wardrobe further. He glanced around the room and all the usual suspects were there; his cousin, Thomas, his chauffeur, Charlie, and his father’s dog, Cerberus, a beautiful Doberman whose demeanor was nowhere near as vicious as she let on.

Nico nodded to his stepmother who stood from her perch on her husbands lap to greet her stepson. She met him in a suffocating embrace. Her smooth skin reeked of floral perfume. Some over saturated Chanel, a gift from his father no doubt. Nico had nothing against his stepmother. She, however, only tolerated him, and he knew that. There were times Nico felt as though she'd be happier if he had ended up like his sister, but she'd never admit it. After all, Nico was his fathers pride and joy. A natural born shark, just like his father. They shared the same foreboding expression. The sunken, lifeless eyes, the sneer that said "pay up or get out". Coal black hair that framed a pale, harsh face. Shrewd and Terrifying. 

He kissed his mothers cheek as she pulled away and she looked back to her husband who nodded, and his chauffeur guided her out of the room.

"Father," Nico said, finally.

"Niccolo," his father hummed. Nico pursed his lips at the use of his deceased mother’s favorite nickname. 

"How can I help to please the great Undertaker today?" Nico asked, making a show of the slight bow he paid his father in mock ardor. 

"I'd say you need to learn some respect," his father said in a low, raspy voice as he stood from his red leather armchair. "But we both know..." His voice trailed off, omonously. The tall man looked down at his son. His eyes barely visible behind the brim of his hat and the curl of smoke that emitted from his cigar made him look like some sort of demon. 

"Respect is the last thing we oughtta give," Nico finished.

His father cracked a smile and let out a hardy chuckle. Nico smiled back and clasped his father in a warm embrace.

Hector clapped his son on the back a few times before releasing him.

"Christ, I taught you well kid," the man said. He tilted his hat back so his brim revealed the grey eyes hidden behind them. A twinkle of joy, which rarely showed itself, gleamed in them and Nico relaxed into the highly theatrical atmosphere of the room. "Now what the fuck is this though?" Hector asked, pulling at Nico's loosened tie. "I guess I didn't teach you well enough." His New York accent pulled at the vowels he spoke, an accent that was only prevalent when he spoke openly to his son.

"Come on, pa. It's hot as hell itself out there. You expect me to walk from 96th and Madison to 116th and first in this fuckin' heat all dolled up in these fuckin' zootsuite you dress me in?"

"Hey hey watch your fuckin' mouth you son of a bitch," Hector chuckled, ruffling Nico's greased hair.

"How 'bout you watch what you say about my mother?" Nico said, smacking his father's hand away. 

“God rest her soul,” Hector sighed.

The two men laughed and Hector sighed, leaning himself against the redwood desk. 

"Jesus, you look older every time I see you. My son, mio ragazzo, my Nico."

Nico was eighteen and already ran a good portion of his father's "business". And his "business" was fee collecting. Hector was the baddest bookie in town and he worked, in part, for his older brother, the duke of Wall Street himself. That fuckin prick. He lined his pockets with mob money while pretending the whole time he was better than the "scum" like his little brothers. When he and Hector knew that with out his alternative revenue stream he'd never be able to afford to satisfy his tyrannical bitch of a wife and his five useless brats. And that wasn't even counting the number of bastards he'd fathered. Why that moron was allowed to procreate, Nico would never know.

But it was his other uncle who was the real enforcer of the family. They called him "the Earth-shaker" and though his uncle was a pretty well tempered guy, you did not want to tick him, or his family, off. 

The way the "family business" worked was The Duke reined in most of the "clientele". Then he'd send them to The Undertaker, which Nico had to admit was a pretty tough name. If you tried to cross the family or back out of a deal you made, your name made The Undertakers little black book. You'd better hope and pray to every god you know, and then some, that your name never made the little black book cause that's when the Earth-shaker came for your skin and he and his hurricane of a son would make you wish you'd never been born. 

Yeah, it wasn't the most glamorous business, definitely not the most legal. But it did well, it cleaned up, and Nico was damn good at it. 

"So how's the south of the north end?" Hector asked. Nico groaned.

"Fuckin' junkies are polluting our corner of the park. I'm gonna send Reyna out tomorrow night to bash a couple skulls. Gotta keep our area nice and clean,” Nico said, nodding to his father.

"Good. Good," Hector nodded. "And what about payments. Is anyone behind?" 

"One little family on the east corner but it's only a week and it's only a couple bucks." Hector gave his son a warning look. 

"You getting soft on me Niccolo?"

"Look, they own a nice little ristorante down on 97th. Hell I'll pay off the debt for them if it means that much to you pa. I probably owe it to them in free dinners. Favor for a favor."

"Favor’s not something you can hand around so lightly Niccolo,” Hector chided. “Next thing you know they're a couple hundred bucks behind and promising to pay up next time, relying on your good graces."

"What you want me to shake down some poor shmuck for a coupla bucks? Fine. Consider it done," Nico snapped. He was probably the only person who could take that tone with his father and live to tell the tale, but he didn’t set much store by it.

"No no no, I trust you're judgment, kiddo,” Hector digressed. “If you think it's fine they're a couple bucks behind. Then it's fine. Just don't get soft on me."

"You gotta be shitting me with that, right?" Nico laughed and crossed to his father's wet bar and grabbed himself a cigar. He snipped the end and lit the tip puffing sweet acrid smelling smoke and turned his attention back to the wet bar where half a dozen crystal decanters stood half empty. He picked one up and sniffed at it, cautiously.

"Eh, eh, eh," Hector shouted. Nico looked to his father. "It ain't five o'clock yet you little shit. You leave those alone."

Nico rolled his eyes and set the decanter down, shoving one hand back into his pocket while the other held the cigar to his lips as he pulled a long drag.

"These are new," Nico said, examining the cigar in his fingers as smoke curled from his lips. 

"A gift from your uncle," Hector grumbled, turning over his own cigar. "He has a little favor to ask of us."

"That's always a promising phrase," Nico scoffed, puffing more smoke into the already hazy room. “What the fuck were you just telling me about favors?” Nico asked, indignantly and Hector groaned in agreement, but continued. 

"It’s family. His eldest just opened a nightclub recently. In our neck of the woods."

"What the fuck's he doin’ in east Harlem?" Nico asked, defensively. His father owned all the nightclubs in little Italy and no one was stupid enough to change that. Except, apparently, his good for nothing uncle.

"Ah ba ba ba," Hector waved for Nico to bring it down a notch. He took another drag of his cigar and continued. "It's more a favor to his son than anything. He's decided he wants to own a jazz bar, so uncle Zachariah put down a payment on a spot of mine. Right now it's just a co ownership but the plan is to see if it does well under... New management. If it does, the bar is his. If it's not, he owes me something for the trouble." 

Nico nodded. There wasn't much to protest when it was family. He sighed and puffed his cigar. 

"So, you've called me in cause you want me to babysit my cousin?" Nico asked. 

"And that is the reason I'm so proud that you're my son. Yes, you're going to monitor the investment and tell me if it’s worth the pain. You're going to be meeting with your cousin Jason, Zachariah's bastard liaison of choice for this particular venture. Jason is working under Zachariah's eldest and I figured since he's closer in age to you, that wouldn't be a problem."

"Not at all," Nico said. 

Their family dynamic was a total mess. Most of Nico's cousins were old enough to be his aunts and uncles and it was because his uncle Zachariah was not only fourteen years older than his father but he'd also had his first few children at seventeen. Another reason his marriage probably wasn't doing so hot. His eldest kids, The Twins, were almost as old as Nico's father. Jason, or as Hector referred to him "Zachariah's bastard of choice", was the only cousin on his uncle Zachariah's side that was remotely close to him in age. Jason was only twenty and still almost twenty years younger than some of his half siblings. Then there was uncle Phoebus. Uncle Phoebus was still seven years older than Hector but his children had been few and far between. Which was odd for someone like him but Nico didn't mind because it had resulted in his favorite cousin, Perseus. Percy was twenty-one and the spitting image of his father. Rough around the edges, but sweet on the eyes. He and Percy had grown up together, they were practically brothers and though they had welcomed Jason with open arms when he was left on Zachariah's doorstep as a twelve year old, there was no one in the world they liked more than each other. 

"So when am I meeting with Jay?" Nico asked, straightening his tie in anticipation of the answer he knew was coming.

"Right after we adjourn our little meeting," Hector said, smiling at his son as Nico began buttoning up his charcoal pinstriped vest. 

"We're meeting at the club?" Nico asked, sliding his hands through the arms of his suit jacket. 

"No. You're gonna be heading over there later tonight. Right now I just want you to talk shop with Jason so he can relay that information to big brother. Charlie's gonna take you to the upper west side to meet with Jason now."

Nico nodded. He could already feel the heat intensify and he hoped Jason wouldn't insist upon formality, seeing as how they were cousins. Nico snuffed out his cigar on the heel of his shoe and placed what remained in his breast pocket for later.

"Remember, Niccolo, I trust your judgment. You're a wonderful protégé and I have utter faith in you," Hector said placing his hands on his son's shoulders. "Just, don't fuck it up." Hector kissed his son's forehead and Nico smiled.

"Grazie," Nico chuckled. 

"Prego," Hector replied. And with that, Nico turned and left his father's study.


	2. Chapter 2

Nico left his father’s study with Charlie close behind. As soon as the door was shut securely behind them Nico took the cigar from his pocket and threw it in a nearby planter, all while trying to rid his mouth of the taste. 

Charlie laughed. “If you don’t mind me asking, sir, why’dya smoke ‘em if you don’t like ‘em?”

“It looks tough, and pops prefers I smoke those as opposed to these,” Nico explained, taking a pack of cigarettes from his breast pocket and lighting one between his teeth. “He thinks they smell nicer.” Nico scoffed letting the cigarette rest against his lips. Nico grabbed his fedora from the coat rack in the entry hall and fixed it atop his head at an angle in hopes to shield him from the mid-afternoon sun.

Charlie laughed and led Nico out of the three-story town house and into the beating summer heat. The hat did little to protect his eyes from the harsh light and the sidewalks baked in the sun, radiating more heat than was ultimately bearably for Nico.

Outside, waiting just where he had left her was Nico’s bodyguard. A tall, chestnut skinned young lady, with thick inky hair fixed up to keep it out of her way, dressed in a lovely plum red skirt suit with a colt .45 strapped to her thigh. Reyna smiled at Nico and joined him on the way to the 1949 black Buick that was parked on the corner. 

Though initially his father hadn’t approved of Nico’s choice in bodyguard, after he found out she’d saved Nico’s ass in a bar brawl by taking a guy out in two seconds flat - three ribs, one hit - he reconsidered. After that moment, Hector doted on Reyna as if she were his own daughter. In fact, Nico was pretty certain that his father was pushing for an engagement between the two of them, but Reyna wasn’t really Nico’s type, and Nico wasn’t hers.

Nico took a drag on his cigarette as they walked and huffed out the smoke. “Enjoying the morning heat?” he asked Reyna, her brow gleaming with sweat.

“I fucking hate skirt suits,” was her only reply, as she wrenched open the car door. Nico laughed sliding into the back and Reyna joined him.

“What did your father want?” Reyna asked as the car pulled out of its spot on the corner and they began to drive.

“I’m being sent on a courtesy errand. He doesn’t want to deal with it himself but because it’s ‘family’ he wants me to deal with it, personally. So we don’t piss off his hot head of a brother,” Nico sighed rolling down the window and dangling his hand out of the car.

“How cute,” Reyna said, adjusting her jacket collar soaked with sweat. “What are you taking care of?”

“A night club.”

Reyna scoffed. “A night club?”

“Apparently, one of my cousins wants to own a night club. And you know how my uncle gets. He gives his precious little brats anything they want if they shout loud enough. So pops is letting him take over management of one of ours.”

“And it’s your job to over see the investment?” Reyna asked.

“Yep,” Nico spat.

“Baby sitting,” Reyna sighed.

They sat in silence for a few blocks, the heat inhibiting their capacity for conversation.

“So are you going to be dealing with your uncle directly?” Reyna asked, finally breaking the silence.

“No, thank Christ. I couldn’t fuckin stand that. Nah, luckily, I’m not even dealing with Adam directly. I’m dealing with Jason who reports to Adam who’s under my Uncle.” Nico really hated all the bureaucracy in his family, but he liked when it spared him from his most unbearable relatives. “At least Jason’s not as much of a kiss ass as Adam is. I think he hates his father more than I do.”

Reyna laughed. They drove the rest of the way in silence.

The car stopped outside a hotel in the Upper West Side and Charlie got out to open the door for Nico. 

“Will you be sticking around to drive us back?” Reyna asked as she got out the other side. 

“Those were my orders,” Charlie nodded.

“Will you be needing my services in side or should I wait out here?” Reyna asked Nico as he made his way around the car. 

“Well they are family,” Nico considered, momentarily, “So I’ll probably be needing your services.”

Reyna cracked a smile and shut the car door, following Nico inside the hotel.

It was a lavish meeting place, vaulted ceilings, marble floors, and crystal chandlers. His uncle had no doubt picked the spot. Nico crossed to the front desk and rang the bell.

“Can I help you… sir?” The concierge asked, looking Nico up and down. 

Admittedly, Nico was a bit small for his age. Standing at 5’6” at no more than 130lbs, he easily looked like a fifteen year old kid dressed up in his father’s old clothes. Most people, upon seeing him for the first time, assumed as much, but Nico was pretty good at convincing them otherwise. Those who didn’t know his face knew his name.

“Di Angelo,” Nico offered, calmly, “Nico di Angelo, I’m here to see my cousin, Jason Grace?” His last name was known from Staten Island to the Bronx. He had taken it after his mother had died out of respect, and for that, he had earned the nickname “the Angel of Death”, right hand man to his father, The Undertaker.

The man’s eyes widened at the name Nico gave. This was always Nico’s favorite part. He could almost see the gears turning in peoples’ heads. No one in their right mind would ever accept, with out question, that little Nico was the Angel of Death. But then again, no one in their right mind would try to impersonate the Angel of Death. So the options were that Nico was either sincere, or suicidal. And there was one move that always convinced them.

Nico cleared his throat and Reyna flashed the concierge a bit of thigh. Specifically, the bit of thigh that had a firearm holstered to it.

The concierge shook his head and nodded, fumbling with a few papers on his desk.

“Y-yes sir, of course Mr. di Angelo. You’re meeting your cousin. Yes, Mr. Grace told me he’d be meeting someone in the, uh, the… oh yes the red room. It’s through the bar in the back. If you’ll just follow me I can—“

“I’m sure we can find our own way. Thank you,” Nico nodded and headed for the hotel bar.

He and Reyna made their way through the smoky lounge to a back room, concealed by a red velveteen curtain. Standing at the entrance was a tall, handsome young man, with tan skin, and deep, sea green eyes. His hands were folded, patiently, behind his back and his navy pinstriped suit fit him well. The only thing out of place about his sharp appearance was his completely disheveled hair, though, Nico never new his cousin to wear it any other way.

“Well, would you look what the fuckin’ cat dragged in,” Nico announced as he neared the door. He caught the man’s attention, as well as a few perturbed bar patrons.

“Hey, hey! Sorry, kiddo, you must be this tall to ride the Coney Island Cyclone,” the man retorted, motioning to his shoulder.

Nico laughed and the men clasped arms and shook hands.

“Perseus fuckin’ Jackson, how the fuck have you been? And what the fuck are you doing here?” Nico asked, kissing his cousin’s cheeks.

“Jesus Neeks, you curse like a fuckin’ sailor,” Percy chuckled.

“And you’d fuckin’ know,” Nico laughed.

“That I would,” Percy smiled and shook his head. “I’m hear as bodyguard to my second favorite cousin,” Percy said with a smirk and a nod.

“What? Uncle Zachariah doesn’t trust my father, so he sends in his favorite nephew to act as peace keeper?” Nico asked.

“I suppose,” Percy shrugged.

“I’m offended,” Nico scoffed.

“Oh up yours, you don’t trust him either,” Percy chided, nodding to Reyna who stood a foot behind him.

“She’s here cause I knew Uncle Zach would have hired a heavy hand. If I had known it was you, I wouldn’t have been so mistrusting,” Nico said with a sly smile.

“Yeah, yeah, you’re a fuckin’ saint,” Percy said, as he led Nico through the curtain and into the Red Room. 

A low, curved, red velvet sofa sat in the corner of the room, which had its own personal bar and bar tender. A gas lit chandelier hung low in the room emitting a dim light. On the sofa sat Jason, a bull blonde with movie star features. His husk golden hair was slicked back just right; his steely blue eyes calmly surveyed the room. He wore a white suit and a powder blue tie, which was just his father’s taste. Jason had always been pretty straight edge, but this was different. He was making a show of it. He sat, reclining on one end of the sofa and motioned for Nico to sit at the other end. 

Nico complied. Archie, one of the families’ oldest body guards stood next to the door way, clad in his usual peacock purple, double breasted suit. Now Nico understood why Jason was being so stern. Under Archie’s watchful eye, the three boys wouldn’t be able to do much of anything but talk shop with out it getting back to their fathers. Reyna took her place by Archie’s side and stood at attention, waiting for Nico’s orders. 

“Jason.” Nico smiled. 

“Nico,” Jason replied. 

The two men sat sizing each other up, silently.

“Reyna,” Nico said after a rather pregnant silence, “You wouldn’t mind waiting outside, would you?” He asked.

Reyna looked to Archie and back to Nico, who nodded. He knew what she was thinking. Percy was neutral territory and wouldn’t fight for one side over the other, but if she left Nico alone in there with Archie, who knows what would happen. Sure this wasn’t exactly a tense meeting but Reyna would not put it past Nico’s uncle to have arranged this whole thing as a hit on Nico. They knew he was capable of it. After all, that’s how Nico’s mother had been killed.

Reyna nodded to Nico and began to leave the room. Nico said a silent prayer that Jason understood what he was trying to do.

“That’s a good idea. We’re all friends here, no need for muscle that’s not family,” Jason added. Nico smiled, his cousins were much smarter than their fathers gave them credit for. “Archie, go wait outside with Reyna.”

“But sir, your father…” Archie began.

“My father left you to me for the afternoon, and you’d do well to do as I ask. After all, we’re all family here, there’s nothing to worry about. You’ll be more useful guarding the door.” Jason said in a tone of voice that could not be negotiated with.

Together Reyna and Archie left the room, Reyna flashed the boys a smile as she followed the older man out, swinging the curtain shut behind her.

When the two were out of the room Jason let out an audible sigh.

“He’s been watching me like a hawk all god damn day,” Jason moaned, looking between Percy and Nico who both cracked smiles. “Thank you.”

“Anything for you, Jay,” Nico chuckled, relaxing into the couch.

“Did either of you know that you’d be meeting with each other today?” Percy asked, taking a seat on an ottoman that sat to the side of the sofa. 

“Nope,” Jason replied flatly.

“Not till this morning,” Nico added.

“Hector told you that you were meeting with me?” Jason asked.

“Called me in this morning for this specifically,” Nico nodded. “But I didn’t know Perc was gonna be here.”

“I didn’t know Jay was meeting with you either,” Percy added.

“Fuck me, I didn’t know I was dealing with either of you!” Jason exclaimed. “The way Zachariah said it, it sounded like I was gonna be dealing with Hector himself. I thought I was gonna have a fuckin’ heart attack.”

Nico and Percy laughed but Jason didn’t look like he was joking. 

“So what the fuck, they just arranged this little family reunion between the three of us as some sort of test?” Nico asked.

“That’s how it’s looking,” Percy shrugged.

“Alls I know is I’m glad it’s you two and not your fathers,” Jason laughed. 

“Why the fuck they gotta be so secretive about this shit though?” Percy asked. “Wouldn’t it have just been easier to tell us the business was gonna be between us from the start?”

“Yeah but then we wouldn’t take it ‘seriously’ or what the fuck ever,” Jason huffed.

“Its just the matter of a fuckin’ night club.” Nico shrugged. “It’s a turf war and they’re sending their kids in so shit doesn’t get too messy.”

“And yet Zachariah sent me here with Archie like I should be fearing for my fuckin’ life,” Jason laughed.

“Well now that he’s outta the way, we can discuss this like the trivial bullshit that it is,” Nico said and the three began to talk shop.

 

“So he’s gonna start off slow,” Nico began. The boys had been discussing this business for what felt like hours. They sat around with half drunken scotch rocks and cigarettes. Jackets were off and ties were loose. They had gotten comfortable once Archie’s prying eyes had left.

“Adam gets the club one night a week—“ Percy said, lighting another cigarette.

“Fridays,” Jason said, flicking his cigarette ash on the carpet. 

“Yeah, which my dad’s gonna have to suck the fuck up,” Nico said, taking a sip from his highball. 

“He’ll have to organize the business in the club for that night, poker games, patrons and what ever entertainment he sees fit,” Jason said. 

“And he’ll get to keep 60% of the revenue from those nights,” Nico nodded.

“Then, if things go better, we’ll step it up to two nights a week,” Jason continued. “Thursdays and Fridays.”

“Same deal,” Nico concurred, “and so on and so forth.”

“And if, or when, the time comes that he gains enough revenue to buy the club,” Jason added.

“The club is his,” Nico concluded. 

“That sounds reasonable,” Percy said with a shrug. 

“You’re damn right it does,” Nico nodded, setting down his glass and picking up his burning cigarette. Nico took a long drag and blew the smoke straight up in the air, stretching out his neck. “Well, glad we could do our daddies’ work for them,” Nico laughed and stood, sliding his jacket on.

“Pleasure doing business with you, Cuz,” Jason said, standing and offering his hand to Nico. They shook hands and embraced each other. 

“I expect we’ll be meeting this Friday at La Cantina Canarino to oversee how the evening goes,” Nico said, grabbing his fedora from the sofa.

“I’d assume. If our fathers continue to insist we arrange this business by ourselves,” Percy said. He clearly wasn’t one for plans and programming but Nico was somewhat enjoying himself and the faith his father put in him, and from the looks of it, so did Jason. 

“I’ll see you gentlemen Friday,” Jason said with a nod, and Percy led Nico out of the room, through the red velveteen curtain.

Outside, Reyna stood, slumped against the bar, her eyes on Archie like a hawk. She straightened up when she saw Nico and cleared her throat. He smiled and nodded for her to follow him as he set his hat on his head and slipped his idle hand into his pocket.

“That took a while,” Reyna noted as she straightened out her skirt suit. 

“We were catching up,” Nico smiled as the stepped out into the late afternoon light. Charlie was perched against the hood of the black Buick, reading a paper. Reyna whistled and Charlie looked up, nodding to Nico before getting in the car to pick them up.

“Productive meeting?” Reyna asked as the Buick pulled up in front of them. She opened the door to the back passengers seat and Nico slid in.

“I think it was,” he said with a smile and Reyna slid in next to him, pulling the door shut.


End file.
